The ultimate checklist for the St. Louis Blues in the 2024 offseason
The St. Louis Blues are close to making the playoffs in 2023-24, but it looks like they will land just short, making the 2024 offseason an important one for Doug Armstrong.
If there is one team that can take many different directions here in the summer of 2024, it’s the St. Louis Blues. General manager Doug Armstrong could choose to set the stage and go ‘all-in,’ or he could further dismantle a team that will probably fall short of the playoffs and implement more of a rebuild, which would make sense if he doesn’t plan on keeping head coach Drew Bannister around.
Anyway, regardless of which strategy Armstrong uses, there are a few common denominators he must not ignore. This means Armstrong must be thinking forward, even if he ends up more interested in building for the present.
It would be great to see him add another forward and put the team in a better position to make a postseason return following a probable two-year layoff, but if it comes with trading away high-end prospects or draft picks that would add more talent to the pipeline, it’s a risk not worth taking.
St. Louis Blues must focus on three main factors this offseason
The so-called rebuild mentioned earlier, however, might be too much hyperbole. So getting rid of some top talents with soon-to-be expiring contracts but keeping the younger (and a few older) pieces could bode well for the three offseason factors listed in this slideshow.
For one, Armstrong isn’t short on draft picks, and there is already a core to go with a few older players with lengthy contracts. Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, Alexey Toropchenko, Zachary Bolduc, Zach Dean, Jake Neighbours, and Nikita Alexandrov make up a high-potential forward group, and they are all currently 25 and under.
Joel Hofer is a youngster who has impressed at goaltender behind Jordan Binnington, while Matthew Kessel is one solid asset on the blue line, with Tyler Tucker and Scott Perunovich showing promise. Veteran leadership on the blue line is big, as is Brayden Schenn at forward, rounding out the core.
So how can this team A, win long-term and B, perhaps stay competitive in 2024-25 with a successful offseason? Let’s explore three points that make up this organization’s ultimate checklist.